Maple Coloured Love
by Mishil
Summary: They are always together, but it changes when the time separated them, Kahoko left and years had passed since then. Len was engaged and until fate made a way to see each other... Will there be a chance for them?…


**Title: Maple Coloured Love**

**Author: Mishil**

**Pairing: Kahoko and Len**

**Genre: Romance and Angst**

**Disclaimer: I don't own La Corda d' Oro…**

* * *

**Summary:**

They are always together, but it changes when the time separated them, Kahoko left and years had passed since then. Len was engaged and until fate made a way to see each other... But there are no chances of being together…

* * *

_**Scene I: Promises are made to be broken... So, can I break mine?**_

**-xox-**

**Slowly…**

"_**I always said that you should be more careful." a little boy said and a sigh came out to his small mouth.**_

"_**I know that you'll be always here, so I don't really mind, Tsukimori-kun."**_

_**Len just smiled at her. Kahoko tightened her hold to him, and lean her head into his shoulders. They were always like this, when she ended up falling from riding a bike or climbing a tree. " Tsukimori-kun, promise me that we will always together."**_

"_**I promise..."**_

_**But it was only an impossible dream of yesterday…**_

_**Because there are no such things as promises…**_

_**Wise men even said that promises are made to be broken…**_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The first time they've met was when they were both six years old. Len thought that no one will find his secret place, until he found a girl with the same age as him, sitting down under his favourite sakura tree.

"What are you doing here?" he asked rudely.

"I am drawing, as you can see." She replied with the same manner.

"This is my secret place, so go away now."

"A secret? Then it won't be a secret now, I also know this place."

He went closer to her to see what she was trying to draw and he made a mistake to insult her drawing, a punch landed on his cheek.

"What did you do, ugly?" he asked furiously and touching his cheeks, trying to nurse it. No one dared to punch a Tsukimori's face...

"I punch you, stupid." She retorted.

That was the way they've met, and that was how she found her first friend.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

She was eight years old when she realized hers feelings for his childhood friend.

"What are you smiling at, Hino?" Len asked her in curiosity, every time they play together, he noticed that her cheeks were reddened and sometimes she was smiling for no reason.

"N-nothing, Tsukimori-kun." She replied and then looked at him again.

Len narrowed his eyes for her behaviour, he noticed that she was becoming one of those annoying girls who do nothing than to scream or squeak when they saw him. When he was about to leave her, he saw one of the campus heartthrob, Kaji Aoi.

Now, he knew, Kahoko was infatuated with that boy. An unexplained feeling dwells from his chest. He was annoyed.

"We should go home, Hino."

"Alright!" she said and took his hands, but he swayed it away. Kahoko's eyes widen in surprised when he took his hands away from her, which was the first time that he did it...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

They were fourteen years old when Len asked her if she like him. He knew that it was stupid and irrational... Yet...

"Hino, do you like me?" he asked her seriously.

She was surprised in his question. She doesn't know what she will respond to him. If she told him yes, she knew that she will lose him, and that was the last thing she will do...

"What kind of question was that, Tsukimori-kun?" she replied and didn't look at his eyes, afraid that he will found out the truth.

"Just answer me." He said in his velvet voice.

"Of course, I don't and I _**promise**_ that I won't fall in love with you." She replied and put a fake smile.

"Is that so..." his poker expression remained.

"Yes... I promise..." she replied. '_I don't like you but I love you...' _she thought.

"You're annoying."

"Yeah, I am ..." She just smiled at him.

Decided to break the awkward silence between them, Kahoko took his hands and afraid that he will shook away her hands but he didn't... She will do everything not to lose him, even if an unrequited love was his answer.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

* * *

_**Scene II: I had given you a lot of hints... Are you really that dense or just a plain stupid?**_

_**-x-**_

**Before the last…**

She knew already who's knocking at their door... It was Len... Taking another love advice from her... They were both sixteen years old, starting their high school year as freshmen.

It hurt her… She didn't even know who Len was in love with… There were a lot of candidates that runs from her mind. Was it Mori Manami? One of the most beautiful girls on their campus? Or is it Rumi, the cheer leader, thinking that girl made her puked…

"_She _truly captivates me, Hino…"

"Oh, even that I don't know her, it seems so." She smiled, smiling was the only thing she can do for now…

"Come here." He commanded.

Kahoko came towards from him, and she was surprised when he suddenly grabbed her and put his forehead against hers.

"Do you know what I am thinking right now?" Len whispered, there were only a mere millimeters, she was tempted to kiss him…

"Hmm, I think you are madly in love with her…"

"Yes, I am …"

'_**Then why do you do this Len. Don't you see my heart is breaking, every time you touch me like this?'**_Kahoko thought…

To know that even in small little moments like these that meant so much to her…

He was the one who broke the contact. "But she didn't even like me…"

…

"Forget about her."

"I cannot do that…"

She mentally wanted to scream out 'PLEASE!'

But she didn't. Because that's not what real best friends would do.

It's not what a best friend in love with another best friend would do…

So Kahoko wasn't going to.

_Just for him…_

It deeply hurts her.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He was playing with her hair again.

Kahoko tried to look back at Len out of the corner of her eye, but it was impossible to see him with her chin propped up on her hand the way it was. It would have been easy to turn and glance at him, but she knew that doing so would result in him immediately becoming motionless. As it was, she felt hesitant enough about even betraying the subtle movements of her breathing.

So she continued to pretend that she was completely focused on the homework scattered across the table in front of her rather than the almost unnoticeable pull upon her hair, the gentle brush of his fingers against her back. She wished desperately that she could see him so that perhaps she could find out if this new habit he had acquired in the last week was something he did consciously or unconsciously; when he was obviously trying to be inconspicuous she couldn't quite bring herself to reveal that she was aware of what he was doing. While the idea of Len actually acting upon something he was not conscious of was somewhat difficult to grasp on the one hand, it wasn't entirely unheard of.

"I love you, Tsukimori-kun..." she said in low voice. It made him completely stopped from what he was doing.

"Really, then I love you too, Hino." He said and a sigh escaped from his lips.

_(Because, I mean it...)_

"We are being melodramatic again." She said and chuckled at their antics. Len knew that it was impossible, he gave her a lot of hints, but any of them didn't reach her heart.

"Hn."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

* * *

_**Scene III: It hurts... I didn't even have the chance to say it out loud...**_

_**-xox-**_

**Petals falls…**

"I'll be moving after this school year."

He didn't speak. He didn't know what to say. It shocked him, why it was so sudden? He didn't miss a beat. "That's three weeks from now."

"Yeah." Her voice was shaking. "Apparently, the schooling is different over there, though. Did you know their school year starts in September, and not January?"

"Hn. Will you come back during the holidays?"

"I hope so." She replied and her eyes were full of emotions as his.

"This is life," he said. "When it moves, we have to move with it."

_(Don't go...)_

"Let's just make the best of this month, okay? Can we spend Christmas together?"

Despite everything, he couldn't refuse her simple request.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Then I think, it is goodbye for now..." Kahoko said and met his eyes.

"Ah."

_(It hurts...)_

"Can you please say something; this might be the last time that you and I shall-." She stopped from speaking when Len suddenly kissed her.

It had been a complete surprise. But then again, he hadn't expected her to return his kiss either.

That's it, and Kahoko watched his back again...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

* * *

_**Scene IV: I think it is time to let you go…**_

One year had passed when Hino Kahoko left him to study hard to achieve her dream to become a doctor…

While Tsukimori Len focused on his study in Vienna to become a virtuoso…

…Two years become three years…

Kahoko was able to smile again while Len's heart turned in its cold state…

…Three years become four years and the time went quickly to both of them…

Len decided to let her go when he became a famous violinist, at the same thought that it was impossible to reach her and Kahoko decided to came back to him when she successfully graduated as a doctor…

Then the news of his engagement to his fellow virtuoso spread and then the engagement party was held… All of people whom she knew know except her… A harsh reality at the same time, painful…

…Kahoko was even excited to see him again… They've said that life was full of clichés…

* * *

_**Scene V: I wanted to see you but at the same time I don't want to…**_

Kahoko decided to went to the supermarket where she could buy her necessities and some things for her new apartment. She was now at her internship at Kaji Aoi's grandfather's hospital. They were both at the internship level…

For all places to meet him, it was on the supermarket. She saw him and noticed the changes in him, her heart was beating faster, and she felt that as if her ribcage will break in no time… Then their eyes met…

There was no sound, nothing between them. Kahoko was only dimly aware of the overpowering presence of Len; everything seemed to have faded. Her jaw moved and her lips parted, but her tongue was as sand, burying her words, and she didn't know what she should say anyway. Certain that she looked ridiculously like a dying fish, Kahoko swallowed, forced her lungs to continue working, and waited for Len's face to light up with recognition, withdraw in anger, or collapse into tears.

It was interminable.

Then Len opened his mouth.

"Is that you, Hino?"

"Can I hug you?" she blurted suddenly. The fire in her cheeks flared up a few notches. She didn't dare look at him for a moment, but his silence quickly grew to be too much. She forced herself to meet his eyes.

He looked stunned.

"Why?" he said, perplexed.

Kahoko scowled, annoyance replacing embarrassment.

Really. He could be so _dense._

"Oh, shut _up_," she snapped before she lunged towards him and caught him in her arms. However, he didn't return her embrace, Len still remained as he was, and he didn't even move a bit. He was too shocked to see Kahoko again after all those years he wished to see her.

Suddenly, she found it very hard to breathe when she saw the ring in his finger…

'_Could it be that you're already…'_

"Len, can we also buy this, I think we will need this when we move from our new house." A voice of another person startled her and made her frozen at the place where she stands. "Who is she? Len-kun?"

"This is Hino Kahoko, one of my acquaintances. Hino-san, this is Fujijo Miyabi my fiancée." Len replied. And Kahoko was even surprised at the term he used. Acquaintance… Did he totally abandon their friendship? Slowly but surely, her heart was breaking and she can feel the pain that was engulfing her… She felt being electrocuted and it was killing her softly... At that moment Kahoko didn't know what to think she just let go of his cold hand.

Tsukimori Len noticed the expression she was trying to maintain… She still haven't changed, he knew she was in pain, the pain that he was the caused…

"I am Hino Kahoko, Tsukimori-san's former school mate on high school and congratulations in advance to both of you…" she said and smiled at the lady in front of her. As she observed her, Fujijo Miyagi was a high class person and she was really pretty…

Formal introductions were done and his fiancée even invited her to a lunch but Kahoko refused politely… Because she cannot hold anymore the tears she was trying to hold. Kahoko made an excuse of being busy…

Hino Kahoko busied herself from work but the persisting pain from her heart won't subside but I just hurts a lot…

While Len and Miyagi were busy preparing for their wedding…

* * *

_**Scene VI: Don't be sorry for falling in love with me…**_

Kahoko couldn't believe it. It was three weeks exact since her encounter with him on the department store…

He_ promised_ her…Len promised her that they would be together.

Kahoko's tears strolled down her cheeks, as she remembered the memories they've shared together…

Kahoko turned around and walked gently… Walked away from the heartache, the brokenness, the hurt….especially from Len. She felt like her heart shattered into pieces that could never be mended again.

It started to rain. She finally collapsed under a tree. The place where they've encountered each other. Her face was covered in tears. It rained harder. Kahoko wiped them away and sat up slowly.

"…"She sobbed quietly and leaned on the trunk of the tree.

She hugged her knees and shook her head. The rain poured on her immensely.

"This is too much for me…"I can never really have you…can I, Tsukimori-kun? Then, it is a goodbye then, ne?" she whispered and slowly drifted to sleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tsukimori Len felt the cold wind as he felt that he heard the voice of his friend… He knew he hurts her a lot and said a harsh thing on her… And he decided to apologize on her…

He went to the hospital where she was training. Upon entering at the intern's lounge, he noticed that she was totally deprived of sleep as he noticed the dark circles under her eyes, she concentrated on what she was doing, when he was about to leave, Kahoko saw her and called him…

"Tsukimori-san, are you finding me?" she said and he noticed that she lost weight.

"I wanted to talk to you, if you have some time…" he said gently.

"It is alright, I was about to go home anyway. Do you want to come at my apartment; it was just 50 meters walk from here?"

"It is fine."

When they've reached her apartment, as Len observed her place of living it was quite small for her. He noticed the drawing of maple tree that he gave her when they were little.

"I am pathetic that was in your mind am I right, Tsukimori-san?"

"No… You are not pathetic, Kahoko…" For the first time Len was able to call her name again… Kahoko was surprised when he heard him…

"What's with the first name basis, you're fiancée will be angry if you called me your acquaintances like that." She said and smiled to conceal her true feelings…

"I am sorry…"

"Don't be sorry… We had only the past… Len…" she said and the tears she was trying to hold fall on her eyes. Len came towards to her and embraced her petite body.

"I've hurt you again… Also in the past…" They've remained their embraced, because they knew that it would be the last time to hold each other… Then, it was Kahoko who broke the contact.

"Please go… I might not be able to let you go if you stay longer…"

"Goodbye…" Len said in his low voice, he hated himself for making her suffer and not being able to express what he truly felt in his heart…

* * *

Two years that passed when his wife had given a birth to a healthy baby boy, Kahoko was the one who assisted the delivery, Len gently kissed the forehead of the newborn. When he was about to go to the nurse station, he saw Kahoko with the Kaji Aoi whom he thought her lover…

* * *

A/N:

Ugh, I am being melodramatic while I am doing this… What do you think about this, this is my compensation… Review makes an author's day… I am not good either at angst what do you think?


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